The fourth wave has decidedly arrived, celebrating women and minorities in central roles. Utopias like Black Panther celebrate nonEuropean alternate paths. Disney princesses reject the old patterns. Now women can be Ghostbusters or Jedi, captain Stormtroopers, fly the TARDIS. Superheroines have found a sense of humor. Meanwhile, self-publishing and internet platforms have dispersed with many gatekeepers and established new levels of diversity. Thanks to the speed of the internet, backlash for this new wave appears simultaneous. However, progress keeps coming. Fans are finding alternatives to the Bechdel Test and clamoring for diverse creators, even as they discover amazing alternatives to bland strong female characters and gratuitous sexualization. While these trends were already appearing in books, comics, and television, cracking the most expensive medium of film has meant real global change. How will this affect Whedon, whose Buffy and Firefly are the paragons of third wave girl power, as he launches his newest show?
